Monday, December 26, 2016

Thanks for welcoming me aboard ship, Lady Tina. The
holidays ARR a perfect time to celebrate romance and try out new things,
especially recipes. BIG hugs for organizing this #Holiday Romance and #Recipe
Exchange. I’m looking forward to the tasty additions I’ll be adding to my
recipe file! Huzzah!

As you can see, I love the holidays. ’Tis the season
for sharing and I’m especially happy to reveal one of my all-time FAVorite
recipes, one that comes from my days at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the Old Plantation
restaurant. These rolls, large and with good texture, are a delicious addition
to any meal, any time of the year. I get loads of compliments on this one!

Old
Plantation Rolls

Ingredients:

1 Egg

1 Yeast cake

1 tsp. Salt

½ cup Sugar

2 cups Lukewarm
water

7 cups
All-Purpose Flour

Combine dry ingredients.
Create a well in center of dry ingredients. Add mixture of egg and water. Mix
well, working slowly from inside out. (Dough will be hard to mix. Once dough is
moistened, mix with hands, and then knead into a large ball.) Place in a
greased, covered bowl and let rise to double in size. Work down, pinch off a
golf ball size piece of dough, knead into ball, tucking edges under the roll
and pinching them together, and then place in greased muffin tins. Cover with
lightweight hand towel and let rise to double in size.

Heat oven to 400
degrees. Place muffin tins in oven and cook until golden brown, usually 6-7 minutes.
Remove to cooling rack. Serve warm. (Great size to make turkey sandwiches—I
call rollwiches—later in the evening or for lunch!)

When your feet are too tired to walk, your shopping
is done, and you’ve got spare time on your hands, there’s nothing like diving
into a good book. Here’s a peak at my latest release, The Pirate’s Debt, the
continuing story of the Black Regent in my Regent’s Revenge Series.

Lady
Chloe Walsingham is an enthusiastic gothic romance reader and hopeless romantic
focused solely on finding her perfect hero. She also happens to have a penchant
for getting into trouble. So when the man she loves disappears after a
scandalous duel, she decides to follow him to the ends of the Earth. To do so,
however, Chloe must evade her brother, an infamous revenue man, and board a
ship bound for Penzance. And nothing in her beloved books can prepare her for
the harsh realities of wreckers who ply the coast.

After his father destroyed the lives of countless innocent people,
Basil Halford, Earl of Markwick is willing to do anything to earn back his
honor. Betrayed by his blood and his reputation ruined, Markwick answers the
request of a well-heeled duke and dons the Black Regent’s mask to repay the
debt. His task? Rescuing a young woman who is chasing down a ghost of a man.

But a pirate has plenty of enemies, and Markwick isn’t any
different. No matter how diligent a captain he may be, sailing to Lady Chloe’s
rescue involves risking not only the Regent’s legacy but the last thing he can
afford to lose…his heart.

Seated in Markwick’s
cutter, cloaked in his clothing, Chloe felt incredibly shallow. To think that
she’d cast all inhibitions to the wind and sailed off for an enterprising
adventure, only to need to be rescued by the very man she’d set out to find.
Though she hadn’t known she’d be finding the Black Regent.

Regent sightings were
rare for the average villager. She’d never known anyone who’d actually met the
gallant hero that stole from the rich and gave to the poor.

Oh, to be sitting so near to him now, to have touched him, to be
in love with him, is even more exceptional than I imagined it would be!

She fought to curb the
jubilation pulsing through her veins, igniting her headstrong passions, and
forced herself to remember this was all about her devotion to Markwick and the
lives lost on the very ship on which she’d obtained passage. To anyone else,
the Black Regent might be a dashing pirate who’d just plucked her off the Mohegan’s decks and saved her from
certain death, but Markwick was also the man she loved.

She sighed, half
trembling, half in despair. Unable to tear her gaze away, she desired to
stretch out her fingers and touch the man, to assure herself that he wasn’t a
figment of her imagination. What kind of nightmare would that be, to discover
she was dreaming and that Markwick really wasn’t there?

Oh, but the blackguard
truly was just as she’d envisioned! In her mind’s eye, he’d been a
swashbuckling champion born from the pages of fiction and fantasy. Now, sitting
before her, was the living man whose very existence defied her infatuations
because he was the man she loved. Broad-shouldered, lean, with
a firm authoritarian profile, he stood a head taller than she did, and oh . . .
when he’d held her in his arms on board the Mohegan,
a lightheaded euphoria had immediately stunned her. Markwick had stood behind
her before but only to teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow. Not like this.
Never like this!

Her gaze lowered to his
upper arms. They were thick, flexing muscular limbs capable of sweeping her off
her feet at a moment’s whim. And oh, she wanted to be his Matilda. She wanted
him to be her Theodore.

Bother. Matilda and Theodore were Horace Walpole’s creations. She and
Markwick lived in the real world. She inhaled a breath of frigid, moist, salty
air.

Admit the truth, you
silly girl. Markwick triggered breathless exhilaration and the unbridled beat
fluttering within her breast, not the Black Regent. For her, there had always
only been the Earl of Markwick.

National best-selling
historical romance author Katherine Bone
has been passionate about history since she had the opportunity to travel to
various Army bases, castles, battlegrounds, and cathedrals as an Army brat
turned officer’s wife. Who knew that an Army wife’s passion for romance novels
would lead to pirates? Certainly not her rogue, whose Alma Mater’s adage is “Go
Army. Beat Navy!” Now enjoying the best of both worlds, Katherine lives with
her rogue in the south where she writes about rogues, rebels, and rakes—aka
pirates, lords, captains, duty, honor, and country—and the happily-ever-afters
that every alpha male and damsel deserve.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

A Pennsylvania Dutch cookie, thin
and crisp and traditionally served only at Christmas.

Ingredients

½
pound butter, softened (no substitutes)

2
cups sugar

1
teaspoon salt

1
teaspoon vanilla extract

3
eggs, separated

3 cups
all-purpose flour

Topping

¼ cup
sugar mixed with ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 egg
beaten

4
cups whole pecans (although I didn't use that many)

Instructions

If
using a kitchen aid, beat the egg whites stiff first and transfer to
another bowl.

In
the mixing bowl, beat butter until very softened. Add sugar and beat until
fluffy. Add salt, and vanilla. Beat egg yolks and add.

Fold
in the egg whites, but not totally. You should still be able to see some
of the white patches.

Add
in flour 1½ cups at a time.

Chill
overnight.

Bake
the next day at 350 degrees.

Roll
out a quarter at a time, keeping dough in refrigerator.

Roll
very thin and use a 2 inch scalloped cookie cutter to form or use any
Christmas cutter you desire.

Brush
with beaten egg, top, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and top with pecan.

Bake
9-10 minutes, not allowing cookie to get too brown.

Cool
thoroughly on wire racks.

Pack
in tins.

(BOOK COVER)

Brother in Blue: Max by Jeanne
St. James

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

Blurb:

Big city party-girl Amanda Barber
has been spoiled most of her life. But life for Amanda suddenly becomes a major
challenge: adapting to small town life, dealing with her handicapped brother
and constantly butting heads with a frustrating local cop.

As a police officer and former Marine, “responsibility” is Max Bryson’s middle
name. Never having been in a serious relationship, he has no plans for being in
one in the near future. He likes being his own man. And even if he were
interested in a serious relationship, he certainly wouldn’t choose it to be
with someone so immature and irresponsible as Amanda. But no matter how hard he
tries, he can’t get sexy Amanda out of his head or his heart. Watching her
mature in front of his eyes, his protectiveness towards her only strengthens.

Bossy and possessive aren’t the only words Amanda uses to describe this
frustrating cop. She can’t deny just looking at the man makes her tremble. But
she’s done with having anyone control her and this man isn’t going to be any
different. Or is he?

Excerpt:

AMANDA LOOKED UP, surprised at his
outburst. Before she could close the door on him, he was hauling her out of the
car by her arms, kicking her car door shut.

She opened her mouth to protest but
gasped as he lifted her into his arms and started striding with a determined
pace to the nearest barn.

She struggled, pushing against his
chest. “What the hell are you doing?”

“What I should do every time you’re a
pain in my ass.”

He nudged the barn door with his
shoulder and dumped her unceremoniously on a nearby stack of broken straw
bales. He went back to slide the door closed and latched it.

Amanda pushed herself up to a seated
position, struggling as her hands sank into the loose straw.

“Don’t even move from there.”

A shiver ran up her back. Fear? Maybe a
little at the unknown, but it wasn’t all fear. No matter how many times they’d
butted heads, she still wanted him.

“You really deserve to be thrown over
my lap and spanked.”

She frowned, shaking her head. “You’re
not going to do that.”

“Don’t bet on it.”

He dropped to his knees beside her, and
she quickly started to scramble away.

He grabbed her hair, and the tug on her
scalp made her still immediately.

She couldn’t tell if he was mad or
frustrated or what.

She licked her dry lips. “What do you
want from me?” she whispered.

“Nothing.” He scrubbed a palm over his
short hair. “Everything. Jesus.” He
reached for her.

JEANNE
ST. JAMES is an erotic romance author who loves an Alpha male (or two). She was
only thirteen when she started writing since it gave her an escape from teenage
angst! Her first paid published piece was an erotic story in Playgirl magazine.
Her first erotic romance novel, Banged Up, was published in 2009. She is
happily owned by farting French bulldogs. She writes M/F, M/M, and M/M/F
ménages.

The lost
Victorio Peak treasure is the stuff of legends—a heretic Spanish priest’s gold
mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider. When Erin, a
quiet history professor, uncovers a clue that may pinpoint the lost treasure
cave, she prepares for adventure. But when a hit and run driver nearly kills
her, she realizes she’s not the only one after the treasure. And is Drew, the
handsome helicopter pilot who found her bleeding in a ditch, really a hero, or
one of the enemy?

Erin isn’t
sure she can trust Drew with her heart, but she’ll need his help to track down
the treasure. She heads into the New Mexico wilderness with her brainy best
friend Camie and a feisty orange cat. The wilderness holds its own dangers,
from wild animals to sudden storms. Plus, the sinister men hunting Erin are
determined to follow her all the way to the treasure, no matter where the
twisted trail leads. Erin won’t give up an important historical find without a
fight, but is she ready to risk her life—and her heart?

“The story
has it all - action, romance, danger, intrigue, lost treasure, not to mention a
sizzling relationship....”

Well-written with an attention to detail that
allowed me to picture exactly in my head how a scene looked and played out.”

Excerpt:

Among all the legends, all the fact
and fiction, one story stood out. The Victorio Peak legend had it all. A
Franciscan priest and a swindler. Torture, murder, a government cover-up. Where
was the truth, among all the stories? Erin wanted to find out. Over time, and
with Camie’s encouragement, she’d started to take the treasure hunt more
seriously. It wasn’t so much for the treasure itself—that would most likely
belong to the government or the landowners. But it would make her reputation,
open up new job opportunities—change her life in ways she hardly dared dream.

She touched the book gently. The
pages were falling out; she didn’t want to risk carrying it around. Instead,
Erin snapped a picture of the petroglyphs with her phone. That would be enough
to show Camie for now.

The timing was perfect; she just had
to turn in grades and field a few tearful last-minute requests for extensions,
and she’d be done for the semester. What better way to spend the summer, than
hunting for buried treasure?

Erin shook her head. Who would’ve
thought that she, the quiet, studious girl who’d spent her entire adult life in
academia in one way or another, would be planning such an adventure?

Erin wheeled the bike around the front of her
house and mounted. At the corner, she paused and looked both ways. The long
frontage road was dangerously narrow, with a cement wall on one side and a
ditch on the other. Fortunately, traffic was normally light, and at this time
of day the road lay empty. Erin pushed off, still grinning from her find. She
rode on the right side, by the ditch, instead of facing traffic, because it was
just too frightening to ride alongside the wall when a car passed.

She’d gone a block when she heard
the hum of a car engine as it pulled out from a side street behind her. She
rode along the very edge of the pavement, even though the car would have plenty
of room to pass her without oncoming traffic.

Erin glanced over her shoulder. The
black SUV 20 feet behind her hadn’t bothered to pull out into the road at all. Jerk.
When would drivers learn to share the road with bicyclists? Erin pulled onto
the two-foot wide gravel strip between the pavement and the ditch. She couldn’t
stop without risking a skid, but she slowed so the SUV could pass.

The engine roared. Erin glanced back
again.

Black metal bore down on her. Her
heart lurched and the bike wobbled. This guy was crazy! She whipped her gaze
forward, rose up in the seat, and pumped the pedals with all her power,
skimming along inches from the ditch. He was just trying to scare her. She’d
get his license plate and—

She felt the bumper hit her back
tire. The bike seemed to leap into the air, and she went flying. The dried mud
and weeds of the ditch seemed to rise up to meet her.

She didn’t
even have time to scream.

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and
romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt
for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a
buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites
Camie and Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle. Whispers in the Dark features
archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a
young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small
New Mexico town.

Instafreebie
is quick and convenient for people to grab their favorite file type, and you
can even set it up so it knows your preference. Feel free to grab a copy!
Honest reviews are always appreciated.

Six years ago, ambitious med student Marla Grant gave into temptation with a
gorgeous man. Now a busy doctor and a loving single mom, the past comes back to
haunt her when she learns the powerful, persuasive man of her long-ago fling
and the unsuspecting father of her child is

cutting off the charitable contributions to the community
clinic where she works.

Billionaire Carson Blackwell has never forgotten bright, beautiful Marla. When
he discovers that she runs the clinic his grandmother's foundation funds, it's
the perfect chance to put an end to his ongoing infatuation and use his
leverage to cement a new business deal. He needs a fake girlfriend for one week
in Hawaii, and Marla is just the woman for the job. It's a win-win situation,
until they realize the attraction between them isn't feigned, and the heat has
never died down. Only the secrets they're both keeping stand in the way of a
future together and a love that could last a lifetime.

Patricia Preston writes fun, spicy romantic novels with a
feel-good atmosphere where love matters most. In her new contemporary series
set in the fictional town of Lafayette Falls, Tennessee, romance creates havoc,
heartache and humor for a cast of unsuspecting doctors until they realize love
heals all. Besides contemporary romance, she also loves writing short comedies
and historical romances set in New Orleans. Must haves in her writing cave
include sweet tea and music. Besides writing, she loves bargain hunting,
movies, taking country road trips, and anything containing chocolate. Her
dream-come-true would be a townhouse in the French Quarter.

Saturday, December 17, 2016

The Christmas season is my favorite time of year. An air of
festivity takes hold as stores bring out their holiday decorations and old time
favorites play on the television.

One of my favorite Christmas recipes came from my
grandmother, Waldorf salad. Every year I'd look forward to seeing that fancy
glass bowl filled with chopped up apples taking pride of the place on our
dining room table. It was Grandma's donation to our holiday dinner.

We've kept the tradition going, even though she passed away
a few years ago. Now, when I look upon that simple bowl of salad every year, I
feel her presence among us and smile.

WALDORF SALAD

6 Spartan or Mac Apples

3 Stalks Celery

1 cup Chopped Walnuts

1 cup Mayo, 2 tbs. sugar, 4 tbs. milk whipped together

Use lemon juice or citric acid to whiten apples.

Peel and chop apples and celery into bite-size pieces,
sprinkle with lemon juice. Add walnuts. Stir in dressing and refrigerate until
use. Enjoy.

At no other point is
passion put to the test as in dire times of war. From the American Civil War to
WWII, from Vietnam to the War in Afghanistan to the Persian Gulf, the stories
in this boxed set summon the strength of true lovers. Written by bestselling,
award-winning, and USA Today authors, the novels and novellas in this
collection tell of overcoming loss, injuries, and separation, to celebrate the
victory of love.

If you like Military
Romance, Wounded Warrior Romance, Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, or
Romantic Suspense, this anthology invites you to triumph over the worst of
conditions and find the courage to bring forth the best in us.

“Miss Campbell, guess what? Jake’s here. He was
outside when we went to get Susan. How cool is that?”

“That’s pretty cool all right. How’d he get here? And
where’s Chris?” She’d grabbed up a napkin to wipe the ice cream from her lips,
when a voice out of the past lifted the hairs on the nape of her neck and sent
a shiver down her spine.

“He’s here. With me.”

The smooth tones rolled over her, and sucked all the air out
of the room. Annie stiffened, then crumpled the napkin and slowly turned in her
seat—yep, it was Jared all right. And Chris.

Oh.

My.

God.

He looked good. The random thought floated through her mind
even as she tried to digest the fact he was finally back. Eight years too late,
but he was here. She wanted to grab Chris and run. Run before what was obvious
to her became obvious to everyone else. Shit.

“Hello, Annie, it’s been a long time.” Why was he looking at
her as if she’d betrayed him? She
wasn’t the one to cut and run without a single word in all this time. Goddamn him.

“Jared. Yes, it has been. A very long time. There
were no phones where you were? Your mother probably would’ve appreciated
knowing whether you were dead or alive.” Not to mention herself. She’d promised
herself she wasn’t going down this road, the blame road. It was time to leave.

She turned her back on him, looked into Jack’s concerned
eyes, and forced herself to smile as if her heart wasn’t shattering into a
million tiny pieces. “I better get back. Tina needs to take her break. Call me
later?”

He gave her waist a warm squeeze, and placed a gentle kiss
on her cheek before sliding free. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but for what
it’s worth, I’ve got your back.”

Near tears, she stood from the table, and without looking at
either man again, grabbed both children’s hands and hustled them out the door.

Annie’s heart tried to leap out of her chest, one hand
muffling her scream, while the other clutched the now half-empty box. Why
hadn’t she made sure she locked the door behind the delivery guy this morning?
Of all the asinine, irresponsible things to do.

“I…I’m sorry, we’re closed right now. Can you ma…maybe come
back later?”

Like never.

The stranger—she was pretty sure she’d never seen him
before—stayed to the shadows, denying her a clear view of his features. He wore
an old-fashioned bowler hat tipped forward over his eyes, and a black greatcoat,
one hand tucked into the pocket. She was probably about to star in her own
horror flick. Killed with her own
merchandise. She could see the headlines already. Annie kept a nervous gaze
on that pocket, her imagination going into overdrive.

When the silence threatened to explode in her head, he bent
and picked up one of the carving knives she’d graciously sent his way. His
thumb skimmed up and down the blade. She didn’t think she’d ever been so scared
in her life.

“Please, I have no money. What do you want?”

That got a reaction. His hand stilled on the blade and
piercing eyes looked up and pinned her in place. “Tell Martin I here. There is
nowhere he can hide.” He threw the knife. Annie gasped and recoiled as the
blade flew through the air and embedded itself obscenely in the heart of her
sewing mannequin. “Tell him he must pay.” Without another word, he disappeared
out the door, a dark wraith.

Annie sank to the floor in a boneless heap. Now that it was
over her teeth chattered, and shivers racked her frame. Who was he? What did he
want? She wanted to believe it was all a misunderstanding and he’d come to the
wrong door, but in her heart she knew better.

This was about Jared.

***

Jared's world narrowed down to the little black barrel of
the gun pointed at his chest. Funny, in all the years of being in the SEAL
teams he'd never been in this situation. Not to say he hadn't dodged his share
of bullets. It's just they'd always erupted like a hailstorm, out of nowhere.
This was somewhere. The back alley of his mother's freaking café in freaking
America to be exact. What the hell?

If he wasn't so pissed off at himself for getting into this
situation, he might have laughed. Eight years overseas off and on, and he was
going to get shot in his own backyard. How's that for ironic?

"Look man, why don't we talk about this?" Jared
forced his gaze to focus on Sergei's steely gaze instead of the muzzle of the
semi-automatic.

"The time for talk is past," the Russian said.
"You ignored my advice and instead made a fool out of me with that stupid
trick you performed."

"Advice? You call beating the livin' shit out of me,
advice?" Jared ground his teeth together, and fought to keep a level tone.
"You can't blame a guy for wanting to retaliate." A crash by the
garbage caused both men to crouch into a fight stance. A tabby cat raced away.
Jared straightened, his heart knocking against his ribcage, as desperate to
escape this mess as the animal. He needed to defuse the situation before
someone came upon them; please God not his mom.

"Okay, you're right. I shouldn't have set off alarms or
caused those slots to pay out. But seriously dude, you can't go around acting
all KGB, we're in the good old USA now." Jared kept a careful eye on the
guy's trigger finger and cursed his loose tongue. What part of defuse couldn't
he figure out?

Sergei tipped his felt hat back on his bald head like an old
time gunslinger. His hand holding the gun never wavered. "You have big
mouth."

Yeah, I've heard that a time or ten.

"Why don't we handle this like two adults? I'll call
your boss, tell him I screwed up and it'll never happen again…" There was
no doubt on that, if he ever went near a casino again he'd kick his own ass.
"And then you can go back to ruling your little kingdom far, far, away."

Click.

The sound of the hammer cocking reverberated with
frightening clarity in the small alley. There wasn't even anywhere for him to
take cover. The garbage can was at least ten feet away. Jared's jaw cramped
from the tension. His skin crawled as if overrun with fire ants. Where was his
team when he needed them?

He'd just decided the only alternative was to rush the
son-of-a-bitch when the alley erupted with the screams and laughter of
children. Two kids rounded the corner at full speed on pedal bikes, racing each
other to an imaginary finish line.

Sergei seized the opportunity, stepped between the bicycles
and scooped the kids off their seats. The bikes, wheels still turning, fell to
the ground in front of him creating a barrier. The kids—God, it was Chris and little Jessica—shrieked until Sergei shook
them, then they froze, eyes wide and frightened, hanging under his arms like
rag dolls.

"Let them go, you motherfu…" Jared's voice came
out low and lethal. Every muscle in his body prepared itself for the moment of
attack. His breathing slowed until he could count each heartbeat as the blood
coursed through his veins. Waiting. Watching.

Barnikov laughed. Laughed. The prick.

"Now it my turn to play game." Jared made a slight
move and Sergei's smile flat-lined. He dropped Jessica to the ground in front
of him but kept his forearm wrapped around her neck. The gun nestled the side
of her head pointed straight at Chris dangling from his other arm. "Move
and I shoot." He shuffled the trio back towards the mouth of the alley.
"We'll talk again, my friend."

And then he disappeared around the corner, leaving nothing
but the slowly turning tire on a bike, and Jared's heart as it shattered.

Bio:

JACQUIE
BIGGARis a USA Today bestselling author
of Romantic Suspense who loves to write about tough, alpha males who know what
they want, that is until they're gob-smacked by heroines who are strong,
contemporary women willing to show them what they really need is love. She is
the author of the popular Wounded Hearts series and has just started a new
series in paranormal suspense, Mended Souls.

She has been
blessed with a long, happy marriage and enjoys writing romance novels that end
with happily-ever-afters.

Jacquie
lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her family and loves
reading, writing, and flower gardening. She swears she can't function without
coffee, preferably at the beach with her sweetheart. :)

Free reads,
excerpts, author news, and contests can be found on her web site: